St Albans Cycle Campaign (STACC)
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What we do...and how you can help
What we do...and how you can help
STACC campaigns for people cycling in St Albans and the surrounding area, including Harpenden, Redbourn, London Colney, Wheathampstead & Sandridge. Together, we advocate for better cycle paths, lower speed limits, and improved parking while promoting cycling as a key part of a sustainable transport system.
Latest News (and member actions in red!)
20mph for Fleetville
20mph for Fleetville
The 20-mph zone in Fleetville has now been implemented. One manifestation of this is the appearance of speed humps along Clarence Road, and the repainting of the centre line to be offset alongside marked kerb-side parking place
Watford Road bump...GONE!
Watford Road bump...GONE!
We reported in September's Newsletter about how the cycle lane on Watford Road heading towards Chiswell Green had been resurfaced from the beginning of the lane as far as the end of the bridge, but no further, and the hump around the drain cover was still a hazard for cyclists.
Since then, HCC have removed the hump in the cycle lane, and levelled out & repainted in bright turquoise green the surface just near it.
This is progress! However, nothing seems to have been done to improve the drainage at this notorious flooding point, and the dreadful broken-up surface of the cycle lane is as bad as ever.
Harpenden Road development
Harpenden Road development
In our September Newsletter, we reported that Cala Homes had received planning permission for a 124-home development on Harpenden Road. We questioned their claim that the project would include “a cycle path linking to the proposed St Albans Cycle Way”, as we were not aware of such a proposal.
Cala has since replied:
“This was not reported entirely accurately. Cala is providing a section of the proposed St Albans to Harpenden Cycleway — a Hertfordshire County Council project to improve sustainable transport between the two towns. Our section runs from the Ancient Briton junction along Harpenden Road to the north of our site. Hallam Land, who are developing the rest of the North St Albans housing allocation, will deliver the next section towards Harpenden.”
The “St Albans to Harpenden Cycleway” is part of the Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) for St Albans. Led by Hertfordshire County Council and St Albans City & District Council, the plan proposes a segregated cycleway along the A1081 to create a safer, more attractive route for cyclists, with better junctions and crossings to support active travel between the two towns.
Cycling Facility Register
Cycling Facility Register
The Cycling Facility Register (formally known as the Cycling Asset Register) has been developed alongside the LCWIPs, as a tool to identify existing provision and gaps. The Herts CC team is very keen to have ongoing input - the register is designed to help everyone understand what infrastructure is available for cycling and what is planned. It also provides the way to suggest missing parts of the network which can be considered for future works. So do contribute; you can find at this link under its new name of Cycle Facility Register.
Five of the county's ten Districts / Boroughs now have approved Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs), one is being reviewed and three are currently being developed. The odd one out is Broxbourne which is being separately developed. The LCWIPs are iterative rather than fixed; they are intended to be periodically reviewed and updated.
Reporting issues
Reporting issues
After July's report of great success in getting the lights fixed in the tunnel under the M1 near Redbourn on the Nickey Line, we have slightly less positive news about the Harpenden Road cycle path.
The shared footway along the A1081 was fully resurfaced south of Harpenden in early 2024, so it is very disappointing that it has been allowed to become so overgrown this year. The pictures above were taken in June and reported to HCC, and we were astounded although perhaps not altogether surprised by the response:
Based on the information you provided, we have assessed this fault and it doesn't need attention right now as it doesn't yet meet our criteria for repair.
Anyway - keep reporting any issues you see on roads, paths and verges here.
Pothole and flytipping reporting!
Pothole and flytipping reporting!
Hertfordshire Highways Fault Reporting is the page to go to if you see a pothole and want it fixed. Potholes more than 50mm deep tend to be fixed quickly and those deeper than 100mm are fixed very quickly. Smaller potholes tend to be 'noted'.
Other faults tend to be less swiftly dealt with, if at all. STACC continues to raise our concern that carriageway faults such as potholes get sorted while mud or vegetation on cycling and walking routes are put 'under review by local engineers' until they quietly drop off the system. Our contacts at Hertfordshire Highways are aware of this shortcoming in the asset management system, and their message to us is KEEP REPORTING IT. This will help them make the case for improvements to the system. Contacting your County Councillor about a particular problem can also help to move things along.
Alternatively, call up a mapping app while you are in situ and take a screenshot of your location. Another option is to make use of What3Words. Here's a short video to simplify reporting of potholes (also works for fly tips and other issues) by using the What3Words app, which puts the three word location identifier onto the photo.
You can then make a report to the relevant local authority..... ah, but which authority is that, and how to contact them? Symondshyde Lane is in Welwyn Hatfield, not St Albans.
Well, there's an app for that... we suggest ClearWaste or FixMyStreet, which use the location that you supply to work out which local authority your report should be sent to. If you have time, you can make the report in situ when you take the photos; the app knows where you are when you do this so you don't have to tell it. You may find the flytip has already been reported.
You may have known of another app specifically for pot-holes, called FillThatHole that was created by Cycling UK. This app is no longer available, but a website with the same name that interfaces to FixMyStreet has taken its place.
Wanted - Bikes, locks, lights and helmets
Wanted - Bikes, locks, lights and helmets
Do you have adult men's bikes in good condition and any helmets, bike locks, or lights that can be given to local asylum seekers?
Before being given a bike, the asylum seekers need to pass a Bikeability course, the cost of which is covered by Herts County Council. All the bikes are checked over by Andy Brock of Herts Welcomes Refugees before being given out.
If you can help, please contact Nick Clarke, clarkefamily2004@yahoo.co.uk, 07974 406013.
Acronyms Explained
Acronyms Explained
We try not to use abbreviations in our website and newsletters, at least not without prior explanation; however some do slip through the net so here is a list of those we commonly use:
ATF – Active Travel Fund – government money for local authorities. link
CMS – Countryside Management Service (part of HCC) link
CRoW – Countryside & Rights of Way (HCC & CMS)
DfT – Department for Transport – link to the public support-for-cycling survey
EATF – Emergency Active Travel Fund, link
GAP – Greenspace Action Plan, link
GTP – Growth and Transport Plan, drawn up by HCC, link
HCC – Hertfordshire County Council, link
LTN 1/20 – Cycle-infrastructure design issued by DfT, link
MMP – Maintenance and Management Plan – a follow-on from GAPs & last for 10 years
SAA – St Albans Abbey railway station, link
SAC – St Albans City railway station, link
SADC – St Albans District Council, link
SFRI – Strategic Rail-Freight Interchange, link
TRO – Traffic-Regulation Order, link; ETRO is an Experimental TRO, link.
VRRA – Verulam Road Residents Association, link
WMP – Widen My Path, CycleStreets website to suggest improvements, link
About STACC
About STACC
STACC campaigns for people cycling in St Albans and the surrounding area, including Harpenden, Redbourn, London Colney, Wheathampstead & Sandridge. We campaign:
To encourage cycle usage in the St Albans District
To promote cycling to play a more significant role in a balanced transport system for the St Albans District
To support, assist and influence to local authorities responsible for managing the transport system in the St Albans District.
Our approach is to work co-operatively with key bodies such as the local authorities whilst lobbying for better funding and provision for cyclists with particular regard to cycle paths & routes, lower speed limits & cycle-parking.
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